‘Scottish people can't rap’: the local and global in Scottish hip-hop

Hip-hop is a global culture, where local representation is a core tenet of its ideology. It therefore provides opportunities to observe how a global cultural structure is interpreted, realigned and expressed in local cultural forms. This article combines autoethnography and rap lyric analysis to consider the complex relationship between the local and global in relation to cultural articulation and authenticity. Through a study of the poetics of Scottish hip-hop, a series of patterns and connections appear relating to interpretation, negotiation and hybridisation of local and global culture, presenting a demonstration of how the local, global and individual intersect to ‘devise unique ways of communicating thoughts, emotions and everyday realities’ (Alim 2003, Journal of English Linguistics, March, 31/1, pp. 60–84, p. 62). Furthermore, this article presents a framework for autoethnographic study of hip-hop, signposting bridging points between scholarship and practice.

The Resilience Songwriting Program for Adolescent Bereavement: A Mixed Methods Exploratory Study

Music therapy research with youth who are grieving often reports on a combination of interventions, such as lyric analysis, improvisation, and/or songwriting. Unfortunately, the lack of theoretical transparency in how and why these interventions affect targeted outcomes limits interpretation and application of this important research. In this exploratory study, the authors evaluated the impact of an 8-session, theory-driven group songwriting program on protective factors in adolescent bereavement, and also sought to better understand adolescents' experiences of the program. Using a single-group, pretest-posttest convergent mixed methods design, participants were enrolled from three study sites and included 10 adolescents (five girls and five boys), ages 11–17 years, who self-identified as grieving a loss. Outcomes measured included grief, coping, emotional expression, self-esteem, and meaning making. Qualitative data were captured through in-session journaling and semi-structured interviews. There were no statistically significant improvements for grief, self-esteem, coping, and meaning making. Individual score trends suggested improvements in grief. The majority of the participants reported greater inhibition of emotional expression, and this was statistically significant. Thematic findings revealed that the program offered adolescents a sense of togetherness, a way to safely express grief-related emotions and experiences verbally and nonverbally, and opportunities for strengthening music and coping skills. These findings suggest that engaging in collaborative therapeutic songwriting with grieving peers may decrease levels of grief, enhance creative expression, and provide social support. More research is needed on measuring self-esteem, emotional expression, coping, and meaning making outcomes in ways that are meaningful to adolescents.

Music Therapists’ Preparation for Song Discussion: Meaning-Making With the Music

Songs are powerful catalysts and resources for change processes in music psychotherapy. Not surprisingly, music therapists often invite clients to listen to recordings of popular songs. A common song listening method is song discussion, in which a therapist selects a relevant song to explore with a client or group and facilitates the listening and subsequent verbal processing. In the relevant music therapy literature, lyrics assume a primary focus (i.e., lyric analysis), and yet, the music of a song, as integrated with its lyrics, impacts both client’s and therapist’s meaning-making and is therefore crucial to take into account. The purpose of the present investigative essay is to encourage music therapists to give attention to the music of recorded songs as they plan to facilitate song discussion. Herein I present a conceptualization of recorded popular songs and consider how one makes meaning from song listening processes. I urge therapists to prepare for song discussion through careful phenomenological listening and introspective interpretation. Finally, I describe procedures of a developing model for aural song analysis and interpretation based on Bruscia’s Improvisation Assessment Profiles (IAPs) with an abbreviated example viewed through multiple theoretical perspectives.